Harley-Davidson Company

Q1. ) 1. Which of Porter’s generic strategies is H-D using? Will this strategy work for all of the countries described in the case? Why or why not? According to Porter Generic Strategies, Harley-Davidson Company uses “Differentiation Strategy” by offering its heavyweight motorcycle through the distinctive designs. Also, as a leader of heavyweight motorcycle manufacturers, more than 100 years old existed in the market, its American icon and nostalgia make H-D become traditional brand. Therefore, with an American made version, the consumers perceive H-D motorcycles as the high quality products and demand for additional exclusive value without considering its high price. In addition, the company currently creates 33 models of motorcycles into the target market categorizing into 4 units which are Standard, Performance, Custom and Touring. The H-D Riders can freely customize the motorcycles up to their preferences through the use of chrome, paint and accessories provided by H-D dealers around the world. We can assume that the using of differentiation strategy works well in domestic market like United States. As American people perceive the good image of H-D Company, the heavyweight motorcycles were manufactured and sold very well for many decades and this is the reason why H-D can stay in the U.S. market for 20 straight years. Anyway, the company’s reputation and its long history could not attract much the European buyers’ intention. H-D Manufacturer has to develop the new design named “V-Rod” or “VRSC” with Porsche-designed engine to encourage purchasing volume of heavyweight motorcycle in European countries. Furthermore, the VRSC model is very popular in Japan and can be sold very well in 2008. But, due to the new Japanese Government Policy that does not allow a motorcycle driver carry a passenger; the sales inevitably decline later on. For China and India markets, the huge size of population attracts many motorcycle manufacturers to penetrate into the...

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

...﻿HarleyDavidson Motor Company
Chad D. Schisler
National University
Author Note
[Include any grant/funding information and a complete correspondence address.]
Abstract
Brief History
The HarleyDavidson Motor Company has been in the motorcycle industry for almost a hundred years and has been indicted as one of the best motorcycle manufacturers in the world. Historically, the motor business of the HarleyDavidson started in the early 1900’s where William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson developed a motor bike. In 1903, the first bike by Harley and Davidson was made and was available to the public. The motor bike had 3-1/8 inch bore and 3 ½ inch stroke which were created for racing purposes. The first bike that was manufactured by Harley and Davidson was done inside a wooden shed which had 10 x 15- foot wood frame and had writings in the door that said “HarleyDavidson Motor CO”. Throughout the decades of developing motorcycles, HarleyDavidson Motor Company has had success in making quality motor bikes that have been used by millions of people from all around the world (HarleyDavidson, 2014).
Organization’s Scope of Management
HarleyDavidson Motors...

...William S. Harley drew up plans for a small engine designed for use in a regular pedal-bicycle frame. Over the next two years, Harley and his childhood friend Arthur Davidson worked on their motor-bicycle in the Milwaukee machine shop located at the home of their friend, Henry Melk. On the year 1903, Harley, Davidson and Davidson’s brother, Walter Davidson, finished their first motor-bicycle.
Harley and the Davidson brothers tested the power-cycle of their first motor-bicycle and they used it as a valuable learning experiment. The boys immediately began on a new and improved second-generation machine and the first “real” Harley-Davidson motorcycle was born. The bigger engine and loop-design took the motorcycle out of the motorized bicycle category and marked the path to future motorcycle designs. Outboard motor pioneer Ole Evinrude also gave the boys a helping hand.
By September 8, 1904, a Harley-Davidson prototype competed in a Milwaukee motorcycle race held at State Fair Park. It was ridden by Edwin Hildebrand and it placed fourth. This is the first documented appearance of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in historical record.
In January 1905, small advertisements were placed in the Automobile and Cycle Trade Journal offering bare Harley-Davidson engines...

...Harley-Davidson Case Study
According to Kotler and Armstrong (2010), to build long lasting customer relationship, a company must create superior customer value and satisfaction. Harley-Davidson must have found the correct formula for customer relationship because the brand is one of the strongest brands in the world and has continuously been successful for 108 years. What is the secret to Harley-Davidson’s success?
For over a hundred years, the company has invested on its Harley-Davidson brand to exude a certain mystique that attracted over 900,000 loyal customers. The company has established the brand to represent quality, a lifestyle and a certain attitude. These things add to the value that Harley-Davidson brand represents. When one thinks of Harley-Davidson, one thinks of extraordinary motorcycles, luxury, courage, independence, freedom, and individualism. All of these and the promise of an adventure and the ride of a lifetime are just some of the qualities customers have come to expect from the Harley-Davidson brand. Judging by the number of Harley-Davidson owners, the brand met or even exceeded their customers’ expectations.
The Harley-Davidsoncompany believes and...

...﻿
Case#2 HarleyDavidson Case Study
Harley-Davidson is an American motorcycle manufacturer with a rich history and cultural tradition. It was founded in 1903 in Milwaukee, WI. Around mid-1980’s, the company was facing problems with product quality and enlarged global presence, hence the management realized the need for an integrated management system that will not only improve the company’s processes but also fit within its budget and enhance its profits. This caused the start of the process to identify the most appropriate information management system for HarleyDavidson Motor Company.
The process was largely reliant on teamwork, which played a leading role in structuring of the IS function. The organization, rather than having a Chief Information Officer, had a team of three directors to offer leadership on information systems integration. The three officers were given the responsibility to play internal consultant roles to the team engaged in identification of the appropriate software to meet the needs of the organization. Additionally, they provided direction regarding how well the technology will fit into the organization’s undertaking to create efficient business practices. The group had liberty to make technological investment decisions for the benefit of the organization. The group was considered to have more exposure to the needs of the...

...ree "HarleyDavidson Analysis" Essay
Below is a free essay on "HarleyDavidson Analysis" from Anti Essays, your source for online free essays, free research papers, and free term papers.
Anti Essays also has a database of thousands of other free essays, free research papers, and free college essays. You can search for more free essays from Anti Essays using the search box above.
HarleyDavidson Analysis
We think it would be interesting to quote first Harley-Davidson's mission, in order to get a first approach of what is the purpose of the company from their point of view. The mission talks first about dreams, rather than motorcycles, which is what the public has in mind. This mission says:
"We fulfill dreams through the experience of motorcycling, by providing to motorcyclists and to the general public an expanding line of motorcycles and branded products and services in selected market segments."
We are going to see how their promotional strategy keeps the track of their mission statement, and how they try always to fulfill those dreams.
Harley-Davidson uses advertising and personnel selling for their promotional mix. The advertising that Harley-Davidson utilizes nationally are four to five television commercials a year. These commercials are institutional because they are...

...﻿Revving up sales at Harley-Davidson
There is a mystique associated with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. No other motorcycle _ in the world has the look, feel and sound of a Harley-Davidson. Demand for Harley- Davidson motorcycles outweighs supply even though the company produces 300000 motorcycles a year, which generates over USS4 billion in revenue. Some models have a two-year waiting list.
The company recently won a number of awards, including being rated:
2nd in ComputerW0rId’s Top 100 Best Places to Work in IT;
51st in Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For;
1st in Fortune’s 5 Most Admired Companies in the Motor Vehicle Industry;
1st in the Top 10 Sincerest Corporations (by the Harris Interactive Report);
2nd in the Top 10 Overall Corporations (by the Harris Interactive Report).
Harley-Davidson's focus on technology.
Harley-Davidson's technology budget of US$50 million is more than 2 per cent of its revenue, which is far above the manufacturing industry average. More than 50 per cent of this budget is devoted to developing new technologies such as sharing information, gaining business intelligence and enhancing decision making. Harley Davidson’s commitment to technology is paying off; for example, by using strategic information systems, the...

...HarleyDavidson was founded in Milwaukie, Wisconsin in 1903, and has been manufacturing motorcycles continuously since conception (HarleyDavidson DVD, 2008). The company is now one of the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturers and controls 26% of all motorcycle sales in the USA, and a massive 50% of the heavyweight segment (Armstrong & Kotler, p129). The HarleyDavidson name is an incredibly strong brand in the world today. Not many people in western culture could hear the name HarleyDavidson and not conjure up thoughts of the powerful, throaty sounding machines carrying their riders across the country. One rider describes the feeling of freedom a HarleyDavidson motorcycle inspires as having “the road to yourself” (HarleyDavidson DVD, 2008). It is the perceptions and images of the HarleyDavidson products and performance that form the underlying strength of the brand (Armstrong & Kotler, 2010, p210).
Armstrong and Kotler (2010, p214) suggest that there are 3 factors involved in the creation of a strong brand: attributes, benefits, and beliefs and values. Although attributes and benefits can be easily copied by competitors (and in the case of HarleyDavidson, there are many competitors in the heavyweight motorcycle industry with...